If you have rats, with their long hairless tails, rummaging around your home, you’re likely on a mission to get rid of the rodents as quickly as possible. With just a few simple steps and pro tips I’ve learned over the years, rats will no longer rein in your home.

To get rid of rats, first, walk around the inside and outside of your home looking for holes and cracks about the size of your thumb. Rats can squeeze through holes the size of a thumb or larger. Then, use hardware cloth, a galvanized metal, and Pur Black professional-grade foam, to fill in each hole. Next, set snap traps, such as Jawz, with chocolate syrup or peanut butter. Then, set metal bait stations with Contrac Blox in the attic and outside around your home to eliminate the rodents and reduce the population hanging around

Rats often move into a home unannounced because they need food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, if you constantly have food laying out, crumbs scattered across the counters, dirty dishes, and garbage piled up rats will take it as an invitation to stay awhile.

You may also be interested in reading these two related articles “How To Get Rid Of Squirrels” and “How To Get Rid Of Mice“.

Signs Of A Rat Infestation

If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already spotted a rat or two inside your home. Spoiler alert: rats are rarely alone. If you see one, there’s more hiding somewhere. Did you know two rats can quickly grow to more than a thousand in a year if left to their own devices? I know, it just makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it?

So, other than actually spotting a rat, how do you really know you have a rat problem inside your home? Let’s take a closer look at a few tell-tail signs that you have a rat problem.

• Rat droppings: Brown or black and shaped like a grain of rice
• Scratching noises: If there were Olympic Games for rats, they’d get the gold in racing around up and down walls. If you hear scratching noises, especially at night, you’ve got a rat problem.
• Rat Holes: Some species of rats like to bury their food and make nests. These types of holes are typically found next to a solid structure.
• Rat Nests: If you suddenly find your toilet paper shredded into tiny pieces, you may have rat foraging for material to make a nice and cozy nest. Rats will often make nests in eaves, attics, lofts, and in between walls.
• Rub Marks: Rats are creatures of habit. They typically follow the same path while inside your home. These rodents like to rub up against the side of walls, leaving greasy marks behind.

If you see any of these signs listed above, you most likely have a rat infestation. So, where exactly are they hanging out? Rats love to chill in attic spaces, lofts, behind appliances, crawlspace, wall cavities. Outside your home, you’re most likely to find rats in and around sheds, under decks, woodpiles, compost bins, and overgrown vegetation.

What Kind Of Rat Is That?

In the United States, there are basically two species of rats that will hang around your home: the Norway Rat and the Roof Rat. Let’s take a closer look at the difference between these two species.

Rat Species	Physical Characteristics	Habitat
Norway Rat	The Norway rat is typically grayish, brown. Adults are approx. 16 inches long and weigh about a pound. The tail is shorter than its body. Small eyes and ears, blunt nose. Large round droppings.	Live across the United States. Prefer being outside, attracted to garbage
Roof Rat	The Roof Rat is black and has a pointed nose, large ears, and large eyes. Its tail is typically longer than its body. Slim, approx. 1/2 pound. Droppings are small and pointed.	Roof rats thrive in coastal states and about a third of the southern U.S. This species is typically found attics, cabinets, ceilings, walls, garages, pool areas.

Evicting Rats From Your Home

The best and most effective way to get rid of rats from your home is to close up any holes or cracks around your home. Rats are nimble and can squeeze through a hole as small as your thumb. That’s why you want to make every effort to patch up those nooks and crannies. You’ll also want to set up traps and bait stations for the rats still inside your house.

Here’s a closer look at the best products and materials you’ll want to use to get rid of rats for good.

Product/Material To Get Rid Of Rats	How To Use	Where To Use
Jawz	Rats love food. Set the large plastic trap with chocolate syrup or peanut butter. Once you trap a rat, place in a garbage bag and dispose of or set free outside.	Underneath furniture, behind appliances, and other hard to reach areas.
Metal Bait Station by Eaton	Place Contrac Blox, a rodenticide inside the bait station. The rat will eat the bait and eventually wander off and die. This is a good way to prevent rats from hanging out around your home.	Can be used in attics, garage, sheds, and outside perimeter of your home.
Pur Black Professional Grade Foam	Pur Black is made specifically to keep rodents away. Best if used with a professional-grade foam gun. Secure hardware cloth over a hole then fill in with foam. You can paint foam to match your existing house colors.	Use to seal up cracks and holes larger than the size of your thumb.
Hardware Cloth	Hardware cloth is made out of galvanized metal. The cloth is available at most hardware stores and online. Rats can’t chew through the metal, which makes it a great material to use over holes and cracks around your home. Use in conjunction with Pur Black Professional Grade Foam	Can be used inside and outside your home to fill in cracks and holes.

Once you catch a rat, wear rubber or latex gloves to carefully dispose of the rodent. If it’s still alive, wrap it in a bag and free it outside away from your home. If the rat is dead, wrap it in a bag, seal it, and toss in the garbage.

I always recommend using a bleach-water (one part bleach, 10 parts water) solution to thoroughly clean the area where the trap is and where you suspect the rat has been living.

Also, as a general rule, don’t sweep or vacuum up rat droppings. This could release harmful bacteria and viruses into the air. Use the bleach solution to dampen a cloth and wipe up the dropping.

Preventing A Rat Infestation

So, now that you’ve done all the hard work, you most certainly don’t want rats getting too comfortable around your home ever again.

Here are a few tips to prevent rats from hanging out inside and around your home:

• Inspect your home for holes and cracks at least twice a year. If you see any holes the size of a thumb or larger, fill it in using hardware cloth and Pur Black foam.
• Cut back trees and other branches touching your home. Doing so will make it much more difficult for rats to scurrying onto your roof.
• Keep garbage outside in a metal container with a well-fitting lid.
• Keep the inside of your home clean and free of garbage, clutter, and crumbs.
• Keep clutter, such as firewood, and other debris away from your home.
• Clean up pet food and birdseed. Rats love this stuff so, you’ll want to clean up excess food laying around and seal the remaining food in metal containers.

Related Questions

How do I get rid of rats inside a wall?

If you hear constant scratching inside the walls of your home, you may have rats hiding out. To get rats out of wall cavities, set traps at the point of entry and exit. If you feel confident you’ve trapped all the rats, or you don’t hear any more activity inside the walls, seal up their points of entry and exit.

If suspect dead rats are rotting in your wall, you may need to cut a hole to inspect and remove the carcasses.

Do rats carrying diseases?

Yes, rats can carry diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Norway rat can carry a harmful bacteria called Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. This is a rare disease, but in 2017 there was an outbreak of the illness in several states across the U.S.

Because it’s impossible to know if a rat is carrying a disease, you should always take great caution and wear a mask and gloves, when cleaning up droppings, nests, and rat carcasses.

How do I get rid of rats naturally?

Rats are not big fans of peppermint. So, with that in mind sprinkle peppermint oil around your home and near possible entry points.

Rats also don’t like catnip. Studies have indicated, rats don’t like the smell of catnip and tend to stay away from when it’s around.